Complimentary weekly wine tastings at Spiritus

A completely lovely thing to start doing this winter, if you don't already, is to visit some wine stores that offer free in-store tastings of their collections. One of my favorite places to do so, is Spiritus Wines in Hartford. On my introductory tasting for example, I had the rare occasion to taste 4 incredible wines that were over $100 a bottle. FREE IN-STORE TASTING SCHEDULE Thursday, January 13th from 4:30 to 7:00 PM Saturday, January 15th from 1:00 to 4:00 PM 2009 Bodegas Angel Rodriguez Martinsancho Verdejo Rueda $17.99 a bottle. Pungent notes of exotic fruits such as guava and papaya, green notes and an alluring salty almond aroma, all of these marry with the fresh zestiness of the grape to create an exciting wine for tapas and seafood. 2008 Chateau Graville Lacoste Graves Blanc $20.99 a bottle. This is not lush tropical fare of golden pineapple and honey, but rather light citrus notes of lemon and lime with a dash of melon. The real star in the glass is the expression of minerality from the vineyards gravel soils. If you have enjoyed white Bordeux in the past, I would recommend grabbing several bottles of this cuvee to enjoy with shellfish and poultry. On the other hand, if you are not familiar with such a pleasure, Graville-Lacoste provides an ideal opportunity to broaden your wine experience. 2005 Bodegas Beronia Reserva Rioja $19.99 a bottle. Aged in barrels interestingly composed of both French and American oak, the covers are made from French oak while the staves are American oak. In your glass the wine presents a fragrant perfume of tobacco, red cherry, red currant and leather, while the palate shows ripe red fruit with velvety tannins. 2007 Villa di Geggiano Chianti Classico $24.99 a bottle. This is a certified organic wine using scrupulously hand-picked grapes. The current production demonstrates excellent ripeness with lush yet not oaky overtones, a nicely firm structure, and classic notes of strawberry on the palate. A chianti such as Geggianos constitutes a perfect accompaniment to pastas, game, cheeses and rustic bread.